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Libby's Body of Work

"Light's right! Gotta go!"

Libby Tolley's friends and fellow artists are accustomed to hearing this phrase from Libby, whose paintings capture the essence of the landscapes of the California Central Coast that she calls home. The urgency she feels in her work is partly due to her emphasis on capturing these scenes as they are right now. "I'm not trying to re-create what things looked like 20 or 50 years ago," she emphasizes. "I want to show what our Central Coast landscape is like today, before it gets developed, changed, or chewed up. I'm not trying to alter these scenes in my paintings—just to honor and respect them for what they are."

Libby loves the magic and immediacy of small paintings done on location. She explains that "If I'm going for a particular time and moment, I'll paint small, on location, then and there. I love to experience a painting right there on location—I know my palette well, and I don't waste any time—I work to get the light and shadow pattern down before it changes—and it always does!" Often these paintings are completed in the field. Her on-site paintings about color and light help her to take the details of a landscape back into her studio, reminding her which of the constantly-changing elements of the landscape she wants to emphasize.

Back in her spacious studio, she starts the large paintings, using the notes and sketches she's made in the field. The sketches are her starting point—they supply her with the details she needs so that she can be selective about what will be included in the finished work. "I love the impact of a large painting," she says. "Working large-scale in the studio lets me pursue an artistic vision, taking my sketches and going from there to create a major painting. I have to take the thought and emotion that's in the sketches and ask myself how I can present this in a larger format."

How does she select her sites? "I follow my nose, like a beagle," she explains. "I've lived here since 1970, I know the little roads, the out-of-the way places, and now, more and more often, people are inviting me to actually come out onto to their ranches and paint. They know they are the stewards of their land, and they want me to join them in that stewardship process. With their help, I can work to capture our incredible landscape."

Does she paint exactly what she sees? "Yes and no," responds this very articulate artist. "I'll enhance, change, or omit. I use all the elements in front of me and the compositional elements to create a painting. I am not after a photo representation, but an artistic, thoughtful painting."

The following selected grouping of Libby Tolley paintings is a representative sampling of her work. These paintings are already in private collections. Some are of the images are available as fine-quality giclée print reproductions. To contact Libby Tolley about any aspect of her work, click here.

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